Communications bandwidth enhancement using orthogonal spatial division multiplexing of a sparse antenna array

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are described herein for communications bandwidth enhancement using Orthogonal Spatial Division Multiplexing (OSDM). For example, large sparse antenna arrays may be able to distinguish between signals emitted by multiple nearly collocated antennas, even if the signals have the same frequency, polarization, and coverage. Thus, the use of a large sparse antenna array may be able to resolve/isolate individual antennas on a single platform, allowing for OSDM, analogous to Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing (OFDM). Using OSDM, multiple antennas on the same vehicle are able to reuse the same frequencies/polarizations without interference, thereby increasing spectrum availability while still providing the same transmitter power spectral density and total RF power emission.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/441,230, filed Jun. 14, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/806,081, filed Nov. 7, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,325,275, issued Jun. 18, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/642,225, filed Mar. 9, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,813,145, issued Nov. 7, 2017, Which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Satellites in orbit typically transmit one or more beams using antennasin order to downlink and uplink data. However, limited spectrumavailability limits the capabilities of both government-funded andcommercial satellite programs. For example, the image collection timesfor satellites are frequently limited by data downlink rates rather thanthe capabilities of the satellite, such as tasking/power availability.The government spectrum is dwindling due to commercial pressures andauctions of frequency bands, and even when a frequency band becomesavailable, commercial spectrum licenses can cost hundreds of millions ofdollars per band. The limited availability of suitable frequency bandsfor satellite communications has led to several methods of spectrumreuse. For example, many satellite systems already utilize high ordermodulation (near the practical limit for bits/second/Hertz of bandwidth)with frequency, polarization, code, time, and multi-region reuse plans.However, even with these reuse plans, satellite system capacitiescontinue to be limited due to spectrum unavailability. In addition, manybands also include power spectral density limitations, therefore,increasing modulation order and transmitter power within a confinedbandwidth to increase data rate is not allowed.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods are described herein for communications bandwidthenhancement using orthogonal spatial division multiplexing. For example,large sparse antenna arrays may be able to distinguish between signalsemitted by multiple satellite antennas, even if the signals have thesame frequency, polarization, and coverage. High gain apertures maydrive spacecraft emissions below the regulatory coordination thresholdand open up new bands on a secondary non-interfering basis. Thus, theuse of a large sparse antenna array may be able to resolve/isolateindividual antennas on a single satellite, allowing for “OrthogonalSpatial Division Multiplexing” (OSDM) whereby each synthesized antennabeam towards one antenna has nulls towards the other antennas, analogousto Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing (OFDM) where eachfrequency has spectrum sidebands having nulls at adjacent carrierfrequencies. Using OSDM, multiple, preferably uniformly-spaced, antennason the same vehicle are able to reuse the same frequencies/polarizationswithout interference, thereby increasing downlink spectrum availability.As an added benefit, utilizing multiple antennas may improve thesignal-to-noise ratios of each individual signal accordingly, thus usingtwo satellite downlink antennas with two OSDM signals may allow eachsignal to be 3 dB lower. In this manner, the power spectral density onthe ground may be unchanged in spite of an increased data rate (e.g.,2×) within the same bandwidth and total satellite power. Thisarchitecture may also add inherent redundancy of satellite transmittersystems, so that if one OSDM transmitter, antenna, signal interconnect,or antenna pointing system fails, the other can operate at half capacityconventionally without OSDM.

In one aspect, a method for transmitting signals from a communicationssatellite comprises receiving, at a first receiving station (alsoreferred to herein as a ground station), a first combined signalcomprising a first signal transmitted by a first satellite antenna, anda second signal transmitted by a second satellite antenna. The firstsatellite antenna and the second satellite antenna may be on the samesatellite or on different satellites and may be separated by a firstdistance. For example, the first satellite antenna may be attached tothe main body of the satellite while the second satellite antenna isconnected to an extended boom at a fixed distance. As another example,the first and second satellite antennas may be on respective first andsecond satellites that are flying in formation. In some embodiments, thesatellite(s) may be orbiting the Earth at a geostationary orbit (e.g.,approximately 22,236 miles above the Earth's equator) such that thesatellite(s) maintain substantially the same position above the Earth'ssurface.

The first and second signal may be transmitted at a single frequency. Insome embodiments, the first and second signal may also have the samepolarization and coverage area.

The method may further comprise receiving, at a second receivingstation, a second combined signal comprising the first signaltransmitted by the first satellite antenna, and the second signaltransmitted by the second satellite antenna. The second combined signalmay be the same signal or a different signal as the first combinedsignal. As an illustrative example, the first and second satelliteantennas may transmit respective first and second signals, which arereceived by the first receiving station, as the first combined signal,and by the second receiving station, as the second combined signal. Inthis example, the second combined signal may comprise the same first andsecond signals as the first combined signal, but may have a differentmagnitude, phase, and/or relative time delay than the first combinedsignal.

The first receiving station and the second receiving station may beseparated by a second distance. In some embodiments, the ground antennaspacing (i.e., the second distance) may be proportional to satelliterange, wavelength/frequency of the signals, and the satellite antennaspacing (i.e., the first distance). In some embodiments, the groundantenna spacing is set at a distance to provide an additive array factor(i.e., the in-phase addition of the two antenna signals) having a peakon one of the two satellite antennas and the first null on the secondsatellite antenna. Thereby, the subtractive array factor (i.e., thein-phase subtraction of the two antenna signals) will have a null on thefirst satellite antenna and a peak on the second antenna. The groundspacing may be a function of the satellite antenna spacing, satelliterange, and signal wavelength.

The method may further comprise determining the first signal and thesecond signal based on the received first combined signal and thereceived second combined signal. In some embodiments, determining thefirst and the second signal comprises combining the received firstcombined signal and second combined signal. For example, beamformers maybe utilized to combine the received first combined signal and the secondcombined signal, taking into account, for example, the number ofantennas, array spacing, total array size, signal frequency, signalphase shift, and/or time delay.

Although the aforementioned method is discussed in relation to twosatellite antennas and two receiving stations, it will be appreciated bya person of ordinary skill in the art that any number of satelliteantennas and receiving stations may be utilized with the systems andmethods described herein. In some embodiments, the number of frequencyreuses may be less than, or equal to, the number of ground antennas. Insome embodiments, the number of ground antennas may be greater than, orequal to, the number of satellite antennas. In some embodiments, themethod may further comprise receiving, at a third receiving station, athird combined signal comprising the first signal transmitted by thefirst satellite antenna, and the second signal transmitted by the secondsatellite antenna. The third combined signal may be the same ordifferent than the first and the second combined signal.

The third combined signal may have a different magnitude, phase, and/ortime delay than the first or the second combined signal. The thirdreceiving station may be separated from the second receiving station bya third distance, and in some embodiments, the third distance is equalto the second distance. In embodiments where more than two receivingstations are utilized, the receiving stations may be arranged in anysuitable orientation and with any suitable spacing. For example, threereceiving stations may be spaced equally along a line. In anotherexample, three receiving stations may be spaced equally at the cornersof an equilateral triangle.

In some embodiments, the first, second, and/or third combined signalsmay further comprise a third signal transmitted by a third satelliteantenna. The third signal may be transmitted at the same frequency,polarization, and/or coverage area as the first and the second signals.The third satellite antenna may be spaced from the first and the secondsatellite antenna. The three satellite antennas may be arranged in anysuitable orientation and with any suitable spacing. For example, thethree antennas may be arranged along a straight line or at the cornersof an equilateral triangle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The systems and methods described herein are set forth in the appendedclaims. However, for purposes of explanation, several illustrativeembodiments are set forth in the following figures.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative diagram of a satellite communicationssystem, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram of a satellite communicationssystem, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a computing device, for performing anyof the processes described herein, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of a frequency reuse profile of asystem utilizing two ground arrays to resolve two satellite antennas, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative example of a relationship between satelliteantenna spacing, ground array spacing, and frequency, in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of a relationship between satelliteantenna spacing, ground array spacing, and frequency, in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative example of three orthogonal synthesizedantenna beams from three ground stations, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system which generatesOSDM reuse signals, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of illustrative steps for communicationsbandwidth enhancement using OSDM, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To provide an overall understanding of the disclosure, certainillustrative embodiments will now be described, including systems andmethods for communications bandwidth enhancement using OSDM. However,the systems and methods described herein may be adopted and modified asis appropriate for the application being addressed and that the systemsand methods described herein may be employed in other suitableapplications, and that such other additions and modifications will notdepart from the scope thereof.

Systems and methods are described herein for communications bandwidthenhancement using OSDM. For example, large sparse antenna arrays may beable to distinguish between signals emitted by multiple satelliteantennas, even if the signals have the same frequency, polarization, andcoverage. High gain apertures may drive spacecraft emissions below theregulatory coordination threshold and open up new bands on a secondarynon-interfering basis. Thus, the use of a large sparse antenna array maybe able to resolve/isolate individual antennas on a single satellite,allowing for OSDM, analogous to OFDM. Using OSDM, multiple antennas onthe same vehicle are able to reuse the same frequencies/polarizationswithout interference, and without increasing the downlink power fluxspectral density, thereby increasing downlink spectrum availability.

In one aspect, a method for transmitting signals from a communicationssatellite comprises receiving, at a first receiving station, a firstcombined signal comprising a first signal transmitted by a firstsatellite antenna and a second signal transmitted by a second satelliteantenna. The first satellite antenna and the second satellite antennamay be on the same satellite or on different satellites and may beseparated by a first distance. For example, the first satellite antennamay be attached to the main body of the satellite while the secondsatellite antenna is connected to an extended boom at a fixed distance.As another example, the first and second satellite antennas may be onrespective first and second satellites that are flying in formation. Insome embodiments, the satellite(s) may be orbiting the Earth at ageostationary orbit (e.g., approximately 22,236 miles above the Earth'sequator) such that the satellite(s) maintain substantially the sameposition above the Earth's surface.

The first and second signal may be transmitted at a single frequency. Insome embodiments, the first and second signal may also have the samepolarization and coverage area.

The method may further comprise receiving, at a second receivingstation, a second combined signal comprising the first signaltransmitted by the first satellite antenna and the second signaltransmitted by the second satellite antenna. The second combined signalmay be the same signal or a different signal as the first combinedsignal. As an illustrative example, the first and second satelliteantennas may transmit respective first and second signals, which arereceived by the first receiving station, as the first combined signal,and by the second receiving station, as the second combined signal. Inthis example, the second combined signal may comprise the same first andsecond signals as the first combined signal, but may have a differentmagnitude, phase, and/or time delay than the first combined signal.

The first receiving station and the second receiving station may beseparated by a second distance. In some embodiments, the satelliteantenna spacing (i.e., the first distance) may be proportional tosatellite range, wavelength/frequency of the signals, and the groundantenna spacing (i.e., the second distance). In some embodiments, theground antenna spacing is set at a distance that provides an additivearray factor having a peak on one of the two satellite antennas and thefirst null on the second satellite antenna. Thereby, the subtractivearray factor will have a null on the first satellite antenna and a peakon the second antenna. The ground spacing may be a function of thesatellite antenna spacing, satellite range, and signal wavelength.Specifically, a two element ground array has a first null at an angle θwhere 2π/λ*D*sin(θ)=π, with λ=the operating wavelength and D=groundarray spacing. Using the small angle approximation between two satellitemounted antennas, θ=S/a where S=satellite antenna spacing anda=satellite altitude/range above the ground stations. Simultaneouslysolving these two equations shows that ground stations separated by adistance D=λ*a/(2*S) can orthogonally receive two satellite antennasseparated by a distance of S. This relationship for geostationarysatellites leads to practical geometries for satellite feeder systems.Graphs 500 and 600, depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively, provide anillustrative example of the relationship between antenna spacing, groundstation spacing, and signal frequency. For example, a 10 GHz downlink502 could be spatially reused by two antennas separated 1 meter apart ona geostationary satellite by interferometrically combining the twosignals with ground stations spaced 525 km apart. As another example, a2 GHz downlink 602, depicted in FIG. 6, could be spatially reused by twoantennas separated by 1 meters apart on a satellite orbiting at analtitude of 2000 km by interferometrically combining the two signalswith ground stations spaced 150 meters apart. Similarly, by extendingarray theory, three 1 meter spaced antenna transmissions may beorthogonally received by three ground stations spaced over a comparabledistance.

FIG. 7 depicts three orthogonal synthesized antenna beams 702, 704, and706 from three ground stations spaced over 700 km (350 km between eachstation) where the beams have peaks 708 on 1 meter spacings with nulls710 on the other 1 meter increments (thus spatially orthogonal) leadingto the term OSDM.

In some embodiments, an array of receiving stations may be utilized toresolve the signals from two or more transmitting antennas. In someembodiments, the number of receiving stations in the array may be morethan the number of transmitting antennas. As an illustrative example, alarge, sparse antenna array, such as the Allen Telescope Array, may beutilized with the OSDM methods as described herein to resolve two X-bandantennas on a satellite orbiting the Earth at low earth orbit. The arrayof receiving stations may be configured to beam-form the received signalsuch that the received signal peaks at one of the transmitting antennasand has a null at each of the other transmitting antennas. The array ofreceiving stations may also be configured to adaptively beam-form thereceived signal as the antennas move through changing geometries. Forexample, the distance from a satellite at low earth orbit to the arrayof receiving stations may range from a few hundred kilometers when thesatellite is directly overhead to a few thousand kilometers when thesatellite is near the horizon. As the angular separation of thetransmitting antennas decreases as range increases, the ground antennaarray adapts the beam programming to maintain peaks and nulls over thesesmaller angles to maintain the OSDM throughout the satellite pass.

The method may further comprise determining the first signal and thesecond signal based on the received first combined signal and thereceived second combined signal. In some embodiments, determining thefirst and second signal comprises combining the received first combinedsignal and the second combined signal. For example, beamformers may beutilized to combine the received first combined signal and the secondcombined signal, taking into account, for example, the number ofantennas, array spacing, total array size, signal frequency, signalphase shift, and/or time delay. In some embodiments, the beamformers maybe adaptive with closed loop control to maintain multiple beamformerpeaks and nulls.

Although the aforementioned method is discussed in relation to twosatellite antennas and two receiving stations, it will be appreciated bya person of ordinary skill in the art that any number of satelliteantennas and receiving stations may be utilized with the systems andmethods described herein. In some embodiments, the number of frequencyreuses may be less than, or equal to, the number of ground antennas. Insome embodiments, the number of ground antennas may be greater than, orequal to, the number of satellite antennas. In some embodiments, themethod may further comprise receiving, at a third receiving station, athird combined signal comprising the first signal transmitted by thefirst satellite antenna and the second signal transmitted by the secondsatellite antenna. The third combined signal may be the same ordifferent than the first and the second combined signal.

The third combined signal may have a different magnitude, phase, and/ortime delay than the first or the second combined signal. The thirdreceiving station may be separated from the second receiving station bya third distance, and in some embodiments, the third distance is equalto the second distance. In embodiments where more than two receivingstations are utilized, the receiving stations may be arranged in anysuitable orientation and with any suitable spacing. For example, threereceiving stations may be spaced equally along a line. In anotherexample, three receiving stations may be spaced equally at the cornersof an equilateral triangle.

In some embodiments, the first, second, and/or third combined signalsmay further comprise a third signal transmitted by a third satelliteantenna. The third signal may be transmitted at the same frequency,polarization, and/or coverage area as the first and the second signals.The third satellite antenna may be spaced from the first and the secondsatellite antenna. The three satellite antennas may be arranged in anysuitable orientation and with any suitable spacing. For example, thethree antennas may be arranged along a straight line or at the cornersof an equilateral triangle.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative diagram of a satellite communicationssystem, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thesystem 100 includes a first satellite antenna 102, a second satelliteantenna 104, a boom or structure that separates the antennas 106, afirst receiving station 108, and a second receiving station 110. Firstsatellite antenna 102 may transmit signals 114 and 116, and secondsatellite antenna 104 may transmit signals 118 and 120. First receivingstation and second receiving station may be separated by distance 112.

First satellite antenna 102 may be any suitable antenna for transmittingsignals from a satellite to one or more ground stations. For example,first satellite antenna 102 may include one or more feed horns and/orone or more reflector dishes configured to transmit signals to thereceiving stations 108 and 110. In some embodiments, the first satelliteantenna 102 may be configured to transmit a spot beam that isconcentrated in power over a limited geographical area on Earth. Inalternate embodiments, the first satellite antenna 102 may be configuredto transmit an omni-directional signal with power distributedsubstantially equally in all directions. The first satellite antenna 102may include an adjustment mechanism, such as one or more motors, whichmay adjust the direction of first satellite antenna 102. The firstsatellite antenna 102 may transmit signal 114 to receiving station 108and signal 116 to receiving station 110. In some embodiments, signals114 and 116 may be the same signal transmitted in an omni-directional orspot beam. Signals 114 and 116 may be transmitted in any suitable mannerand at any suitable frequency, polarization, and/or coverage area.

In some embodiments, the second satellite antenna 104 may besubstantially similar to first satellite antenna 102. Second satelliteantenna may transmit signals 118 and 120 to receiving stations 108 and110. In some embodiments, second satellite antenna 104 may comprise anomni-directional antenna, in which power is distributed substantiallyequally in all directions. In such embodiments, signals 118 and 120 maybe substantially equal. In alternate embodiments, second satelliteantenna 104 may transmit signals 118 and 120 in a spot beam directed toa specific geographical location on Earth. In some embodiments, signals118 and 120 may be transmitted at the same frequency, polarization,and/or coverage area as signals 114 and 116.

The first satellite antenna 102 and second satellite antenna 104 may beseparated by a first distance. In some embodiments, the first satelliteantenna 102 and the second satellite antenna 104 may be on the samesatellite. For example, the first satellite antenna 102 and the secondsatellite antenna 104 may be connected using a rigid boom 106. The rigidboom may ensure that the first satellite antenna 102 and the secondsatellite 104 maintain the first distance. In alternate embodiments, thefirst satellite antenna 102 and the second satellite antenna 104 may flyin formation to maintain the first distance.

Receiving stations 108 and 110 may be located on Earth and separated bya second distance 112. The receiving station's signals are connectedthrough a signal interconnect 130 to a beamformer network 140. Althoughthe beamformer network 140 is depicted in FIG. 1 as located separatelyfrom receiving stations 108 and 110, the beamformer network may belocated at either one or both of receiving stations 108 and 110. In someembodiments, the spacing of antennas 102 and 104 may be proportional tothe distance 112, the wavelength/frequency/polarization of signals 114,116, 118, or 120, and/or the satellite range/altitude. Due to thedistance 112, the signal 114 may be received at the receiving station108 before signal 116 is received at receiving station 110, therebyresulting in signal 116 having a different magnitude and/or phase thansignal 114. Similarly, signal 118 may be received at the receivingstation 110 before signal 120 is received at receiving station 108,thereby resulting in signal 118 having a different magnitude and/orphase than signal 120.

Signals 114 and 120, received at receiving station 108, may comprise afirst combined signal, and signals 116 and 118, received at receivingstation 110, may comprise a second combined signal. Based on thereceived combined signal through interconnects 130, the beamformer 140may isolate the signals 114, 116, 118, and 120. The beamformer 140 maybe at either one of receiving stations 108, 110, or at an externalground location for processing only.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram 200 of a satellitecommunications system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The satellite 210 may include communications subsystem 212,processing circuitry 211, antenna 213, and communications network 214.The secondary satellite 220 may comprise processing circuitry 221,antenna 223, and communications network 224. The satellite 210 andsecondary satellite 220 may be connected by boom 225 or may be attachedas one body having two antennas. Ground station 230 may compriseprocessing circuitry 231, transmitter/receiver 232, antenna 233, andcommunications network 234. Ground station 240, which may besubstantially similar to ground station 230, may comprise processingcircuitry 241, transmitter/receiver 242, antenna 243, and communicationsnetwork 244. The ground stations 230 and 240 may communicate with eachother through communications network 245. Satellite 210 may transmitsignals 250 and 252 to ground stations 230 and 240, respectively, andsecondary satellite 220 may transmit signals 260 and 262 to groundstations 230 and 240, respectively. Ground stations 230 and 240 may bemore detailed representations of receiving stations 108 and 110,depicted in FIG. 1.

Processing circuitry 211, 221, 231, and 241 may be any suitableprocessor(s) for performing the methods disclosed herein. For example,as discussed in further detail below in relation to FIG. 3, processingcircuitry 211, 221, 231, and 241 may be a conventional computerprocessor. Antennas 213 and 223 may be substantially similar to antennas102 and 104 depicted in FIG. 1, and may be suitable for transmittingsignals 250, 252, 260, and 262 at any suitable frequency, polarization,and/or coverage area. In some embodiments, communications subsystem 212may be included in processing circuitry 211. In alternate embodiments,communications subsystem 212 may comprise separate processing circuitryconfigured to perform specialized communications commands. For example,communications subsystem 212 may receive signals from antenna 213,amplify the received signals, and transmit them to processing circuitry211 through communications network 214. Communications subsystem 212 mayalso include beamformers for combining received signals or directingtransmitted signals 250 and 252. Communications networks 214, 224, 234,244, and 245 may comprise any suitable network, including, but notlimited to, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), WideLocal Area Network (WLAN), or any other wired or wireless network orcombination thereon.

Ground station 230 may receive signals 250 and 262 using antenna 233.Signals 250 and 262 may be passed to transmitter/receiver 232, which maycomprise specialized circuitry for signal processing. For example,transmitter/receiver 232 may comprise beamformers, as discussed inrelation to FIG. 5 below, for combining the received signals 250 and 262or directing transmitted signals. Transmitter/receiver 232 may alsoprocess control signals, calculated by processing circuitry 231, andtransmit them through antenna 233. One or both of received signals 250and 262 may be transmitted to ground station 240 through communicationsnetwork 245. Similar to ground station 230, ground station 240 mayreceive signals 252 and 260 using antenna 243. Signals 252 and 260 maybe passed to transmitter/receiver 242, which may comprise specializedcircuitry for signal processing. For example, transmitter/receiver 242may comprise beamformers, as discussed in relation to FIG. 5 below, forcombining the received signals 252 and 260 or directing transmittedsignals. Transmitter/receiver 242 may also process control signals,calculated by processing circuitry 241, and transmit them throughantenna 243. One or both of received signals 252 and 260 may betransmitted to ground station 230 through communications network 245.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a computing device 300, for performingany of the processes described herein, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure. Any one of processing circuitry 211, 221,231, or 241, as depicted in FIG. 2, may comprise one or more computingdevice 300. In some embodiments, a plurality of the processing circuitry211, 221, 231, or 241, or a combination of any of the other componentsdepicted in FIG. 2, may be included within one computing device 300.

The computing device 300 comprises at least one communications interfaceunit 308, an input/output controller 310, system memory 303, and one ormore data storage devices 311. The system memory 303 includes at leastone Random Access Memory (RAM 302) and at least one Read-Only Memory(ROM 304). All of these elements are in communication with a CentralProcessing Unit (CPU 306) to facilitate the operation of the computingdevice 300. The computing device 300 may be configured in many differentways. For example, the computing device 300 may be a conventionalstandalone computer or alternatively, the functions of computing device300 may be distributed across multiple computer systems andarchitectures. In FIG. 3, the computing device 300 is linked, vianetwork 318 or local network, to other servers or systems. The network318 may connect to a receiving station, such as receiving stations 108and 110 or to satellites 102 and 104.

The computing device 300 may be configured in a distributedarchitecture, wherein databases and processors are housed in separateunits or locations. Some units perform primary processing functions andcontain, at a minimum, a general controller or a processor and a systemmemory 303. In distributed architecture embodiments, each of these unitsmay be attached via the communications interface unit 308 to acommunications hub or port (not shown) that serves as a primarycommunication link with other servers, client or user computers, andother related devices. The communications hub or port may have minimalprocessing capability itself, serving primarily as a communicationsrouter. A variety of communications protocols may be part of the system,including, but not limited to: Ethernet, SAP, SAS™, ATP, BLUETOOTH™,GSM, and TCP/IP.

The CPU 306 may comprise one or more processors, such as one or moreconventional microprocessors and/or one or more supplementaryco-processors. In some embodiments, the CPU 306 may be a generalmicroprocessor. In other embodiments, the CPU 306 may comprise aspecialized processor and/or integrated circuit, such as anApplication-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital SignalProcessor (DSP), Graphics Processor Unit (GPU), or a Field-ProgrammableGate Array (FPGA). The CPU 306 is in communication with thecommunications interface unit 308 and the input/output controller 310,through which the CPU 306 communicates with other devices such as otherservers, user terminals, or devices. The communications interface unit308 and the input/output controller 310 may include multiplecommunication channels for simultaneous communication with, for example,other processors, servers, or client terminals.

The CPU 306 is also in communication with the data storage device 311.The data storage device 311 may comprise an appropriate combination ofmagnetic, optical or semiconductor memory, and may include, for example,RAM 302, ROM 304, flash drive, an optical disc such as a compact disc ora hard disk or drive. The CPU 306 and the data storage device 311 eachmay be, for example, located entirely within a single computer or othercomputing device; or connected to each other by a communication medium,such as a USB port, serial port cable, a coaxial cable, an Ethernetcable, a telephone line, a radio frequency transceiver or other similarwireless or wired medium or combination of the foregoing. For example,the CPU 306 may be connected to the data storage device 311 via thecommunications interface unit 308. The CPU 306 may be configured toperform one or more particular processing function(s).

The data storage device 311 may store, for example, (i) an operatingsystem 312 for the computing device 300; (ii) one or more applications314 (e.g., computer program code or a computer program product) adaptedto direct the CPU 306 in accordance with the systems and methodsdescribed here, and particularly in accordance with the processesdescribed in detail with regard to the CPU 306; or (iii) database(s) 316adapted to store information that may be utilized to store informationrequired by the program.

The operating system 312 and applications 314 may be stored, forexample, in a compressed, uncompiled, and/or encrypted format, and mayinclude computer program code. The instructions of the program may beread into a main memory of the processor from a computer-readable mediumother than the data storage device 311, such as from the ROM 304 or fromthe RAM 302. While execution of sequences of instructions in the programcauses the CPU 306 to perform the process steps described herein,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with,software instructions for embodiment of the processes of the presentdisclosure. Thus, the systems and methods described are not limited toany specific combination of hardware and software.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anynon-transitory medium that provides or participates in providinginstructions to the processor of the computing device 300 (or any otherprocessor of a device described herein) for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media andvolatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical,magnetic, or opto-magnetic disks, or integrated circuit memory, such asflash memory. Volatile media includes Dynamic Random Access Memory(DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM orEEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), aFLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any othernon-transitory medium from which a computer may read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the CPU 306 (or anyother processor of a device described herein) for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be borne on a magnetic disk of aremote computer (not shown). The remote computer may load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over awireless connection using a high gain antenna. A communications devicelocal to a computing device 300 (e.g., a server) may receive the data onthe respective communications line and place the data on a system busfor the processor. The system bus carries the data to main memory, fromwhich the processor retrieves and executes the instructions. Theinstructions received by main memory may optionally be stored in memoryeither before or after execution by the processor. In addition,instructions may be received via a communications port as electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals, which are exemplary forms ofwireless communications or data streams that carry various types ofinformation.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of a frequency reuse profile 400 ofa system utilizing an array of two ground antennas to resolve twosatellite antennas, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Frequency reuse profile 400 may include sum channel 408which includes transition zone 412 and a substantial minimum at 410.Frequency reuse profile 400 may also include difference channel 406.Axis 402 may represent a satellite offset, such as the distance betweentwo transmitting antennas including the length of boom 106 or boom 225.Axis 404 may represent the relative gain of the sum and differencechannel in decibels, or any other unit of magnitude.

Sum channel 408 may represent the beam-formed sum of two signalsreceived at two separate ground stations, such as ground stations 108and 110 depicted in FIG. 1, as satellite offset is varied. Differencechannel 406 may be the beam-formed difference of the two receivedsignals at the ground stations as the satellite offset is varied. Thedifference channel 406 may exhibit a substantial maximum at zero offset,and the sum channel 408 may exhibit a substantial null at some non-zerooffset where the difference channel has a peak.

The substantial maximum of the difference channel 406 and thesubstantial null of the sum channel 408 may occur at the same offset ordifferent offsets. The transition zone 412 of sum channel 408 mayexhibit a high slope, which may aid in the detection and/or automaticbeamformer control of the null at 410. As an illustrative example, asatellite and a remote antenna may be separated by a body or boom of afixed distance (i.e., offset). In some embodiments, the satellite andthe remote antenna may be flying in a geostationary orbit such that thecoverage area of their respective antennas remains relatively constant.The satellite and the remote antenna may each transmit a signal at 2.1GHz, which are received by two ground stations separated by 600 m. Thetransmitted signals may combine and interfere with each other in spaceduring transmission. As the boom distance is varied, the sum channel mayexhibit a null at 30 m. If the boom distance is configured to 30 m, theground stations may be able to isolate the signals transmitted from thesatellite and the remote antenna, even if they are transmitted at thesame frequency, polarization, and/or coverage area.

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system 800 whichgenerates OSDM reuse signals, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. System 800 may comprise an array of N antennas 810,812, and 814, denoted by the notation (A=1, 2 . . . N). Each of theantennas may be separated by a spacing (S) 802, for a total array size804 of (N−1)*S. Although the illustrative embodiment in FIG. 8 isdescribed in relation to a uniform array with uniform spacing, it willbe understood by one skilled in the art that the methods and systemsdescribed herein may be utilized with any suitable spacing and/ororientation of the N antennas 810, 812, and 814. Each of the N antennas810, 812, and 814 may receive respective signals from two or moresatellites in orbit and send the received signals to Low NoiseAmplifiers (LNAs) 820, 822, and 824, respectively. LNAs 820, 822, and824 may be an electronic amplifier used to boost the signal power of thereceived signals while injecting minimal noise. The amplified signalsmay pass to N-Way Power Dividers 830, 832, and 834. Each of the N-WayPower Dividers may divide their respective signals into N equalcomponents and send the components to beamformers 840, 842, and 844.Thus, each of beamformers 840, 842, and 844 may receive a component ofthe signals received by antennas 810, 812, and 814. Each of thebeamformers 840, 842, and 844 may combine the signals according to therelationship:ΣS_(K)A_(K)e^(jϕ) _(K)K=1:Nwherein e^(j) is the complex exponential, A_(K)=amplitude weight, andϕ_(K)=signal phase correction. The output of beamformers 840, 842, and844 are the OSDM reuse signals 850, 852, and 854 (i.e., each of theindividual satellites transmit signals but with the co-channelinterference of each of the other signals removed).

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of illustrative steps for communicationsbandwidth enhancement using OSDM, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Process 900 may comprise receiving, at a firstreceiving station, a first combined signal comprising a first signaltransmitted by a first satellite antenna, and a second signaltransmitted by a second satellite antenna (902), receiving, at a secondreceiving station, a second combined signal comprising a first signaltransmitted by a first satellite antenna and a second signal transmittedby a second satellite antenna (904), distributing the first and secondcombined signals to one or more beamformers (906), and determining thefirst signal and the second signal based on the received first andsecond combined signals (908). Process 900 may be performed on anongoing basis to continuously receive and isolate the first and secondsignals transmitted from a first and second satellite antenna.

At 902, a first receiving station, such as receiving station 108, mayreceive a first combined signal comprising a first signal transmitted bya first satellite antenna 102 and a second signal transmitted by asecond satellite antenna 104. In some embodiments, the first satelliteantenna and the second satellite antenna may be on the same satellite oron different satellites and may be separated by a first distance. Insome embodiments, the satellite(s) may be orbiting the Earth at ageostationary orbit (e.g., approximately 22,236 miles above the Earth'sequator) such that the satellite(s) maintain substantially the sameposition above the Earth's surface, or could be a low earth orbitsatellite, or aircraft, or other distant object, having multipleantennas. The first and second signal may be transmitted at a singlefrequency, polarization, and/or coverage area.

At 902, a second receiving station, such as receiving station 110, mayreceive, at a second receiving station, a second combined signalcomprising a first signal transmitted by a first satellite antenna 102and a second signal transmitted by a second satellite antenna 104. Thesecond combined signal may be the same signal or a different signal asthe first combined signal. The first and the second receiving station108 and 110, as depicted in FIG. 1, may be separated by a distance 112.The separation of the first and second satellite antennas may beproportional to the satellite range/altitude, wavelength/frequency ofthe transmitted signals, and/or the spacing of the receiving stations.

At 904, the first and second receiving stations 108 and 110 maydistribute the first and second combined signals to one or morebeamformers. At 908, the beamformers may determine the first signal andthe second signal transmitted by the first and second satellite antennasbased on the received first and second combined signals. For example, asdiscussed above in relation to FIG. 5, the beamformers may calculateOSDM reuse signals based on the first and second combined signals andone or more of the number of antennas, array spacing, total array size,signal frequency, signal phase shift, and/or time delay.

While preferable embodiments have been shown and described herein, itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments areprovided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, andsubstitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the embodiments described herein may be employed inpractice.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for receiving, using a sparse antennaarray, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OSDM) reuse signalsfrom two or more satellite antennas, the method comprising: receiving,at a first ground station of the sparse antenna array, a first combinedsignal, the first combined signal comprising a first signal receivedfrom a first satellite antenna at an orbiting altitude and a secondsignal received from a second satellite antenna separated from the firstsatellite antenna at a first distance, the first and second signalshaving a shared frequency; receiving, at a second ground station of thesparse antenna array, a second combined signal, the second combinedsignal comprising the first signal and the second signal, the secondground station separated at a second distance from the first groundstation; receiving, at a first beamformer, the first combined signalfrom the first ground station and the second combined signal from thesecond ground station; and generating, using the first beamformer, afirst output signal from the first and second combined signals based onthe first distance and second distance, the first output signalcomprising one of the first signal and second signal with co-channelinterference of the other signal removed.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving, at a second beamformer, the firstcombined signal from the first ground station and the second combinedsignal from the second ground station; and generating, using the secondbeamformer, a second output signal from the first and second combinedsignals based on the first distance and second distance, the secondoutput signal comprising the other of the first signal and second signalwith co-channel interference of the other signal removed.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein the first beamformer is part of the first groundstation and the second beamformer is part of the second ground station.4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first ground station comprises afirst antenna configured to receive the first combined signal, a firstpower divider communicatively coupled with the first antenna, and thefirst beamformer, and wherein the second ground station comprises asecond antenna configured to receive the second combined signal, asecond power divider communicatively coupled with the second antenna,and the second beamformer.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the firstand second power dividers are each communicatively coupled with thefirst and second beamformer, and wherein the first power divider isconfigured to divide the first combined signal into a first beamformercomponent for sending to the first beamformer and a second beamformercomponent for sending to the second beamformer, and the second powerdivider is configured to divide the second combined signal into a firstbeamformer component for sending to the first beamformer and a secondbeamformer component for sending to the second beamformer.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the first output signal is generated based on thereceived first beamformer components of the first combined signal andsecond combined signal and the second output signal is generated basedon the received second beamformer components of the first combinedsignal and second combined signal.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second satellite antennas are on a single satellite oraircraft.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and secondantennas are on the same satellite or aircraft.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein the first distance between the first and second satelliteantennas is approximately one meter, wherein the second distance betweenthe first and second ground stations is approximately 525 km, andwherein the first and second signals are 10 GHz downlink signals. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the first distance between the first andsecond satellite antennas is approximately one meter, wherein the seconddistance between the first and second ground stations is approximately150 meters, and wherein the first and second signals are 2 GHz downlinksignals.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the orbiting altitude is2000 km.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first combined signaland second combined signal further comprise a third signal received froma third satellite antenna separated from the first and second satelliteantennas to define a satellite array size, the first, second, and thirdsignals having a shared frequency.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: receiving at a third ground station of the sparse antennaarray, a third combined signal, the third combined signal comprising thefirst signal, the second signal, and the third signal, the third groundstation separated from the first and second ground station to define aground station array size; receiving, at the first beamformer, the thirdcombined signal from the third ground station; and further generatingthe first output signal from the third combined signal based on theground station array size, the first output signal comprising one of thefirst signal, the second signal, and the third signal with co-channelinterference of the other signals removed.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein the first output signal is generated further based on one ormore of the number of satellite antennas, signal frequency, signal phaseshift, and/or time delay.
 15. An antenna system for receiving orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (OSDM) reuse signals from two or moresatellite antennas, the system comprising: a first ground station of asparse antenna array configured to receive a first combined signal, thefirst combined signal comprising a first signal received from a firstsatellite antenna at an orbiting altitude and a second signal receivedfrom a second satellite antenna separated from the first satelliteantenna at a first distance, the first and second signals having ashared frequency; a second ground station of the sparse antenna arrayconfigured to receive a second combined signal, the second combinedsignal comprising the first signal and the second signal, the secondground station separated at a second distance from the first groundstation; a first beamformer configured to receive the first combinedsignal from the first ground station and the second combined signal fromthe second ground station and generate a first output signal from thefirst and second combined signals based on the first distance and seconddistance, the first output signal comprising one of the first signal andsecond signal with co-channel interference of the other signal removed.16. The system of claim 15, further comprising: a second beamformerconfigured to receive the first combined signal from the first groundstation and the second combined signal from the second ground stationand generate a second output signal from the first and second combinedsignals based on the first distance and second distance, the secondoutput signal comprising the other of the first signal and second signalwith co-channel interference of the other signal removed.
 17. The systemof claim 16, wherein the first beamformer is part of the first groundstation and the second beamformer is part of the second ground station.18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first ground station comprises afirst antenna configured to receive the first combined signal, a firstpower divider communicatively coupled with the first antenna, and thefirst beamformer, and wherein the second ground station comprises asecond antenna configured to receive the second combined signal, asecond power divider communicatively coupled with the second antenna,and the second beamformer.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the firstcombined signal and second combined signal further comprise a thirdsignal received from a third satellite antenna separated from the firstand second satellite antennas to define a satellite array size, thefirst, second, and third signals having a shared frequency.
 20. Thesystem of claim 19, further comprising: a third ground station of thesparse antenna array configured to receive a third combined signal, thethird combined signal comprising the first signal, the second signal,and a third signal, the third ground station separated from the firstand second ground station to define a ground station array size; whereinthe first beamformer is further configured to receive the third combinedsignal from the third ground station and generate the first outputsignal from the third combined signal based on the ground station arraysize, the first output signal comprising one of the first signal, thesecond signal, and the third signal with co-channel interference of theother signals removed.